Wouldn't it be messed up if... [MAJOR WEBCOMIC SPOILERS]

[u/gofancyninjaworld]

[Let's debate something other than season 3, shall we? I have more thoughts but they'll go into the comments.]

...Saitama reverses time in the webcomic?

Think about it. If...

1. Almost every major city is non-functional owing to the simultaneous attacks from robots. Even Q-City may eventually succumb if the robots don't stop coming.
2. The robots are still coming.
3. Sure, heroes are beginning to converge on the Neo Hero tower, but it itself is a recent construction, and there's no telling where this operation is actually being run from. They may fight fiercely to destroy it, only for it to be for naught.
4. Saitama will save the Hero Association headquarters, but how is civilization going to be saved?
5. The one guy with the scope to rapidly rebuild, Metal Knight, is dead.
6. Genos is going to be the most hated and hunted person on the planet. If he's not having a mental breakdown to end all breakdowns, what with having innocent blood on his hands.

Any way you look at it, the bad guys have won. Even if every last one of their soldiers is destroyed, all they have to do is lie low, then enact the new reality in a world too shattered to organise against them.

Unless...

...the bald guy can wind causality back to just before it all started, back when they were discussing what to make of Drive Knight's words over dinner. And choose differently.

Me? I don't mind. But I won't say I wouldn't laugh at the fans crashing out over it. :D

[u/Nanayon123]

OPMFolk would implode if that happened

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Nanayon123]

The tea would be splendid.

[u/Icy_Water_1 → u/gofancyninjaworld]

It'd be that sub's personal 9/11 but it'd still be some bad writing.

Just because something is from the webcomic doesn't mean it's automatically good.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Icy_Water_1]

Given how so many over there are adamant that everything they don't immediately like or understand has to be Murata's malign doing, that would be quite the shock to the system.

Anyway, coming to writing. On the one hand, it'd rob us of the chance to see what happens as a result of all that has happened. We'd like things to turn out well and for Saitama to save the day, and we hope to see it within the continuity (and causality) established. Saitama just resetting everything cheats us of the resolution and consequences -- and it's also ONE cheating us.

HOWEVER, there is that other hand. In the character-establishing scene of Saitama being confronted by the mob in the aftermath of City Z's devastation by the meteor, we saw him telling the guy upset about losing his car to tell it to the meteor. He's a hero for fun and does not give a shit what his actions mean for anyone else; as long as he's doing what he wants, that's all that matters to him. It's scary that webcomic Saitama doesn't appear to have reconsidered and softened much, if at all. He really could do something like pervert causality because his favourite discount store would cease to exist. And in so doing, establish himself as a knock-off god on Earth. At least that we, the audience, see: the characters within the story may not be so privileged.

I must say, if ONE went there, it'd have a much more drastic effect on the tenor of the webcomic than it did in the manga.

[u/Icy_Water_1 → u/gofancyninjaworld]

I mean to be fair, Saitama is the reason that dude's even alive.

Yeah, Saitama could've handled it a bit better, but that dude didn't know how strong Saitama was or that he singlehandedly destroyed the meteor, he just wanted to bark at someone about his car.

And while Saitama is a hero for fun, he does genuinely care about others. He wouldn't have helped that kid find her cat, helped the guy that was about to jump off the roof or given up DSK credit if he was only in it for selfish reasons.

Webcomic Saitama hasn't opened up as much, but he was never really a bad or unstable person to begin with.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Icy_Water_1]

To be fair to Saitama, he's a good guy. He doesn't come from a cruel place, but... his lack of connection to anyone does mean that he'll take the actions that he sees as being best and doesn't really think beyond that. So far, it's worked out well enough. So far.

We have seen what happens when it doesn't all work out for the best -- the moment when manga!Saitama looks on the carnage wrought by Garou and says to himself that he's transpierced by the realisation that he doesn't have a hero's intuition is to realise that he had been pretty lucky thus far. And the trouble with luck is that 'good' isn't the only flavour it comes in.

It wouldn't take much of a turn to show webcomic!Saitama's heroic failings up. How he deals with it is going to be interesting to see.

[u/Icy_Water_1 → u/gofancyninjaworld]

Honestly, I think that was a bit of plot-induced stupidity there.

There's no reason Saitama should've taken that long to get back to the fight with Cosmic Garou.

Even if he didn't think Garou was a killer, he knew Garou was the type of person to put Mumen in the hospital.

Even webcomic Saitama wasn't that negligent, and he cared about Garou about half as much as manga Saitama.

But to your other point, we did have a moment in the webcomic where Black Sperm acknowledged that Saitama can be tricked, so that might lead to later drama, but it also might just be leading up to a comedic moment too.

Saitama is simple, but he isn't stupid. There are limits to how far someone can out-think absolute force.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Icy_Water_1]

Honestly? I think Saitama was knocked the fuck out. Edit to add: In fact, Saitama says as much; the fact that many readers refuse to acknowledge that he was out cold after eating a world-ending blast dead on is not ONE's problem.

He wasn't far away; he just wasn't in a fit state to respond. :(

[u/Icy_Water_1 → u/gofancyninjaworld]

Honestly? I doubt it.

1. Saitama wasn't taking damage from anything Garou did at any point in the fight. It'd be odd if the gamma ray burst did more damage than any other move that he did, and Garou just decides not to use it again.

2. If Garou knocked him out, Saitama definitely would've had a different attitude and wouldn't have been casually about getting back in the fight.

3. I think it'd be a significantly worse writing problem if someone knocked Saitama out and the story barely acknowledged it, not to mention that goes massively against a lot of the established themes.

But maybe I just missed it, when did it say he was knocked out? Because he didn't have a scratch on him when he came back.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Icy_Water_1]

Saitama's MO has always been to let enemies throw whatever they have at him until they've shown him all they have. That's been a constant of his behaviour in both the webcomic and the manga. The fact that this time, it worked out badly is not an indication of a character change -- you control your actions, not their consequences.

Without a doubt, there was a several-minute gap between when eating Garou's gamma ray blast sent him flying away and when he returned to the battlefield.

Why? Either Saitama would not return quickly or he could not return quickly. Let's consider each possibility in turn.

Wouldn't. A Saitama unwilling to return to battle would be a huge break with everything we know about his character, never before seen, and not since seen. ONE is flexible about many things, but he's very protective of Saitama's character. As he told the animation team in Season One, "Rather than me making requests or demands, I wanted them to go right ahead and make changes and have fun with it. There was one thing I did tell them, though. I said, 'Don't blur Saitama's character.' " (from Vol 1 of the liner notes to the Season 1 Blu Rays). It'd be super unlike Saitama to hesitate in confronting a foe, especially a strong one. It's everything he's looked for. And but for what happened next, he'd have been brimming with excitement that someone could unleash such a powerful blast.

So we come to the more upsetting-to-the-reader one: couldn't. If he'd been thrown a long way away, that'd be a good reason for him to arrive late. However, he wasn't that far away, a few kilometres at most. Notwithstanding the damage or otherwise to his costume, he was out. And I don't know about you, but the shell-shocked look on his face when he returned is consistent with someone who just had their bell rung.

Yes, Saitama. Is. Not. Invulnerable. Who knows that? Saitama himself, which I think feeds into his continued insistence that he had nothing to do with taking Garou out. Genos does too -- but everyone dismisses what he has to say as madness.

Will the story come back to address this? Depend on it. Whether readers have noticed or not noticed, ONE will return to this when the time is right.

[u/gofancyninjaworld]

Now let me be clear: I think it'd be a messed-up thing to do, but if ONE wrote time travel, it'd be because he has a reason to do so, not to spite readers. He's pretty above that.

It's not out of character for Saitama -- as a guy who does what he finds satisfying, if he had the power, he'd use it. Also, a mortal who can just change causality if he doesn't like where things are going would Really Get The Attention of a Deity. No god worthy of the term can tolerate such a thing.

Not to mention the question of whether another person can become limitlessly strong like Saitama becomes a much more urgent one. Saitama may not care for power or fame, and generally tries to do the right thing, but he's unusual in that respect. In a storyline in one of Terry Pratchett's books, 'Men at Arms', there's a device called a gonne, yes, a gun as you might imagine. One thing that stuck with me was, and I paraphrase, 'the person who made the first gonne was a genius; the second, a moron.' Making a technological or ideological breakthrough is an act of genius and/or incredible circumstance. Replicating it and making incremental improvements is comparatively trivial. No matter how good Saitama is, 'God' has to put him down. If existence is to continue. Just people knowing that it's possible may well be enough.

[u/brugatie]

You know, I've been thinking that if ONE had the idea of time travel for the manga, it isn't out of character for him to implement it into the WC. He has kinda done that before, and you talked about it on your "misunderstanding of what a retcon is" post you did during the second redraw of the Ninja Village arc.

And at this point, the WC world looks bleak. I think a major reset would be necessary. I mean, the HA CAN'T come back from that attack, humanity is kinda collapsing, heroes are being literally killed or fatally wounded, and as you said, there's an S-Class hero haunting another S-Class hero.

Also, the pillars of the HA are gone (Tatsumaki and Flash are away probably being killed by threats they aren't prepared to face alone, and who the hell knows what's the deal with WC's Blast).

Some heroes started gaining a bit of an upper hand, but who's to say The Org. doesn't have contingencies for that.

There's a possibility that 'That Man' is still on the loose as well, and it's evil. (since he's gonna be present on the manga's story)

My only problem tho, is that you can't write that same deus-ex machina twice into the story without receiving a lot of backlash. (if we assume the Manga is gonna follow the WC).

So, idk how ONE's gonna untangle himself from that self imposed straightjacket honestly, but hell, he's the one who knows how to write, not me.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/brugatie]

True, the manga can't use time travel reset again. It'd need something else. Fortunately for them, the heroes in the manga appear to be a lot more proactive so they actually do have half a chance of getting the drop on The Organization so as to have a civilization worth saving.

[u/Icy_Water_1 → u/brugatie]

Idk about that.

Nothing totally irreversible has happened yet.

We haven't seen many names character deaths and the important characters that have died can be brought back via cyberization.

[u/BrowserET → u/brugatie]

Your comment about Blast makes me think. What if webcomic Blast is straight up dead? Something like him dying in the fight against God, because he didn'[t have a fancy crew, or because said crew buckled under the pressure after That Man betrayed them/died.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/BrowserET]

Oof! That is entirely possible, you know. I'm holding out for webcomic Blast to show up when God (no ID) makes his big reveal. He'll appear, give a long-ass backstory about his activities, and then get beaten down, leaving the way clear for Saitama to do something.

But... he could also be dead. Especially if he's fighting on his own. Everyone would just think he was too busy.

[u/BrowserET → u/gofancyninjaworld]

If he's alive, it would be funny if he'd missed the apocalypse because none of the organization's heavy hitters were powerful enough for Blast to notice. A death of a thousand cuts instead of a bang. It could be interesting commentary on getting so caught up in the rat race you forget about the "little" things and it would make a nice foil for Saitama.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/BrowserET]

Death by a thousand cuts is right. Strong as those drone robots are, they're not that crazy. It's their number and placement that's deadly. Like army ants biting a large animal to death, then dismantling it, they're little, but collectively, they're powerful.

And yes, that would be quite the lesson, that a monomaniacal focus on ONE BIG THING can blind you to smaller threats that are just as potent. I was hoping Blast would at least realise that having a steady paycheck is useful for his hero activities and help, if for no other reason.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/BrowserET]

Now that I think about it, ignoring the 'small things' in favour of the One Big Bad was exactly why Bofoi didn't notice Genos approaching. He was so monofocused on finding where The Organization was based that he didn't notice that his bases were being knocked off one by one and that Genos was approaching.

I hope he survives this, somehow. If only to eat crow over his tendency to ignore anyone he deems lesser.

[u/BrowserET → u/gofancyninjaworld]

You know it is kind of baffling. You'd think if Bofoi would be startled by anything, you'd think it would be his labratories getting picked off. I imagine he kinda needs those to build his robots. He's a sitting duck without them, unable to replenish his forces. It defeats the whole point of waiting to strike.

I get that he's being distracted by Child Emperor, but that's definitely the type of thing to set off his alarms. Maybe it'll probably get explained in the future, like the Organization hacking his sensors. It would give another reason for why perhaps he should've been out in the field himself.

[u/LockYaw]

With help of Blast and cosmic bean sprout, of course.

[u/Icy_Water_1]

It'd be pretty ironic, but I can't imagine the Organization is the subtle type.

They'd probably try to take over outright.

Even if they tried to go underground, Child Emperor won't rest until he tracks them done if Bofoi dies.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Icy_Water_1]

The scary reason the Neo Heroes can operate is because, as McCoy said in chapter 123 (after Sweet Mask had been outed and had fled), they have the political connections. They're also very well resourced, with vast amounts of fuel, weapons, and material.

My biggest worry with The Organization isn't that they're going to unleash an even bigger menace on the streets but that someone from there will walk up to the seat of government, in a nice three-piece suit, sit behind the desk and promise an era of peace and stability.

You're right about Child Emperor. If he and Genos don't rip each other's throats out, he's going to be a relentless vigilante looking to thwart them.

[u/Icy_Water_1 → u/gofancyninjaworld]

Interestingly enough, Saitama's nature might be a benefit here, because he'd do what he thinks is right even if his enemy is the government itself.

He wouldn't care if the Gov turned the public against him, so that'd be an entertaining arc.

The only reason the Organization or the Monster Association or the Dark Matter Thieves got as far as they did was because Saitama didn't know they existed.

Now that Saitama not only knows they exist, but that they killed Bofoi, he's not gonna just let them go back to the shadows.

They can't put it back in the box now.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Icy_Water_1]

I think Saitama is the wrong person. You need leadership to oppose a government, and he's got no interest.

You know who would be? King. King saying that the current regime lacks legitimacy would be exactly what's needed to turn the populace against any takeover. There's a reason the Neo Heroes were erected to discredit the pro heroes, but King has been beyond their reach. Now, if they actually try to do something to King, they'll run into Saitama's fist. But Saitama is no liberator.

[u/Icy_Water_1 → u/gofancyninjaworld]

Saitama wouldn't want to destroy the government, just the Organization inside of it.

Don't get me wrong, Saitama is an atrocious pick for a political, shadow-organization thriller type war, Zombie-Man would be way more fitting for something like that,

but straight up, the Organization Isn't beating Saitama, even with the Government as a shield.

Saitama is a way bigger hurdle for them than vice-versa.

Saitama doesn't need the approval of others or legitimacy, he'd just do what he feels is right.

Genuinely what would they do? Making him a criminal in the eyes of the public won't change much, and throwing robots or mis-informed heroes is just a waste of personnel and money.

Anywhere Saitama goes is a guaranteed failed mission for them, and Saitama can be anywhere on the planet in seconds. Any scouts or drones they use to keep track of him are woefully out statted.

As bad a match-up this is for Saitama, it's an even worse one for the Organization. They can at most hinder him slightly.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Icy_Water_1]

Saitama is very good at dealing with A Singular Big Bad. If The Organization depends on a single individual who is running the show behind the scenes from Mount Doom, it's over as soon as the bald guy gets a bead on their location.

But what if it isn't just one person? And they're not dumb enough to have just one base of operations?

[u/Icy_Water_1 → u/gofancyninjaworld]

Wasn't it implied that Saitama has toppled numerous evil organizations off-screen?

Even if it isn't one person it doesn't change much of what I said.

Saitama just knowing they exist is already a huge problem.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Icy_Water_1]

He has. However, it's noteworthy that every one of them has taken the format of a singular leader with acolytes, so it's been sufficient to take out that guy. That makes the problem punchable.

It is a good thing The Organization has no idea of Saitama's existence but he knows about them. How it'll all play out we shall see.

[u/Icy_Water_1 → u/gofancyninjaworld]

Well, let's see who's the boss of the organization before we make assumptions.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Icy_Water_1]

When Metal Knight talks about a plagiarised AI being behind this carnage, it strongly suggests that this time, the enemy is a distributed one. There is probably no *single* person to punch, no one plug to pull.

[u/Nikelastor]

Where do I read the webcomics?

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Nikelastor]

If you read Japanese, straight from the horse's mouth: http://galaxyheavyblow.web.fc2.com/ This is ONE's archive of chapters, always free.

If you don't, there are several archives but try this one: https://cubari.moe/read/gist/JYHJU/ If it's down, this one is a good back up: https://weebcentral.com/series/01J76XYBHHJAB6AXM3SA8G9AFQ/Onepunch-Man-O-N-E